When it comes to custom furniture, Ann Love Interiors orders quite a few pieces. Something you may not know is that custom furniture manufacturers allow up to a 1-inch variance from the measurements you send them. Not knowing/forgetting this detail really hurts, as I recently found out (buy buy $$$).

We ordered a custom sectional to fit precisely into a nook in a family room. It was all custom—custom bed, custom Robert Allen fabric, custom pillows, and custom love seat. There was really not even an inch to spare. I took the measurements and sent them off to the furniture manufacturer. My client is a lovely lady, and she likes thing done right. And so do I! We began that exciting wait where anticipation for your fabulous new piece of furniture is killing you, only to be devastated when the sectional didn’t fit, and then even more devastated when the manufacturer refused to replace the piece, because “of course everyone knows about the 1 in variance.” Um, no???

Well, let me tell you, everyone doesn’t, and even when you do, it’s easy to overlook it. After all, what’s an inch? Well, I’ll let Ashley from Whittington & Co explain:

“Custom upholstery is an art and not an exact science. Many of the processes and techniques are completed by hand with the assistance of small hand tools. On top of that, there are different types of padding materials applied underneath the final fabric cover, which also come in varying weights and thicknesses. Another factor which also affects the final outcome of the piece is the degree to which an upholster pulls on to the fabric depending on the design of the furniture and the nature of the fabric in terms of stretch and pliability. All of this combination makes it nearly impossible to know the exact outcome and produce a custom upholstered piece of furniture to the exact size and look from one piece to the next.”

Sounds reasonable, except if you don’t know this, in which case, you’ll be the one crying over your gorgeous, too big sectional. Buyer beware. You will be out money. In my case, getting the sectional up the stairs (and then down again) caused several dings in the wall. And taking off baseboards to try to make it fit added another few dollars to my final bill, because of course they broke and had to be replaced.

Note to self: whether it be custom furniture or not, make sure you measure the area first. Do a drawing if you have to. Don’t let this expensive mistake happen to you!

And don’t say I never teach you anything! But now, I’m off to go drool over some of the fabulous custom pieces we’re currently waiting for in my Edmonton shop.

Ciao!

Ps. Did you click on the link to Whittington & Co’s webpage? Isn’t the furniture beautiful?? Who can resist going custom when stuff is that pretty?!